As my favorite time of the year comes around, so does my annual Halloween movie marathon. Per tradition, “The Nightmare Before Christmas” is number one on the list—it’s the one that resonates the most with me.
In this movie, Jack Skellington, in an attempt to overcome routine boredom, sets off on a mission to take over Christmas celebrations and make them “Halloween” style with spooky gifts under the tree and dark and twisted Christmas carols. Skellington, the main character from this Tim Burton film, is a spooky leader, the self-proclaimed Pumpkin King and a resourceful skeleton who’s driven by his macabre ambitions.
Like Jack, I often find myself bored of life and its routines. And, even though I don’t recommend that you ruin Christmas, or any other holiday for that matter, I do believe there are some things we should learn from the Pumpkin King’s adventure. Here are some ways I wish I could be more like Jack.
- Dare to try new things. Jack’s never-ending enthusiasm allows him to rediscover and reinvent himself. After all, Jack’s main goal was to bring joy to the world—even with his spooky attempt.
- Empower and encourage people around you. During the “making Christmas” part of the movie, Jack kindly encourages all the citizens of Halloween Town who are giving their best to learn about and make the holiday decorations. You can’t lose anything by being kind and encouraging the people around you.
- Learn to admit when you’ve made mistakes. One of the most crucial parts of the movie is when Skellington’s sleigh is torn apart, forcing him to face the mistake he has made. Just like him, I also tend to bite off more than I can chew, thus, learning to truly apologize and recognize my wrongs is essential.
- Ask for and accept help. Sally spends almost all of the movie trying to warn Jack about the dangers of taking over Christmas, but he refuses to listen and only asks for help when it is too late. Sometimes, we have to accept the help we don’t know we need.
